I hope you can help me with this. I need to buy a swing-arm lamp for my craft projects. Cal title 20 bars any lamp shipped to California if it isn't CFL. I found a lamp that comes with that type of bulb but no one will mail it. And I can't buy it in stores because they can't have it mailed to them. I've searched everywhere online for this type of lamp that I can buy in a store here but no luck. How can they just completely eliminate this type of lamp that works so well with drafting tables and craft projects?

I found some with LED lights but the Cal title 20 doesn't say anything about LEDs. ##%%@@**

I found a government place online that explains all about the light bulbs. The problem is I can't buy lamps unless they include a CLF bulb and a lot of lamps don't. And even some lamps WITH CLF lamps won't ship to me. Argghh!

I hope what Square Peg describes works for you. LED should be California compliant. I haven't worked with the regulations you describe. I do know that producing energy efficient lighting, as any other innovation, has had it's challenges. I know that the new light bulbs contain less mercury than the old ones, but I didn't realize that the got the mercury down to nothing. Way to go, lighting industry!

I love that magnifying lamp! It should be great for my crafting and it's affordable. Let's see if they will ship it to CA.

I have a great light box that I've been using for years for SAD. At this point, what I want are full spectrum light bulbs I can put in all the lamps in my apartment. I have an article (which I neglected to post below!) that I need to read in detail. Just skimming it, I noticed they say lots of bulbs say they're full spectrum, but they're not. I checked Home Depot and that's what I saw with their bulbs.

Elaine, the light bulb isn't the problem. Those I can find. It's the damn lamps that I can't seem to buy. I hate CLF light (really sucks for SAD) and I haven't tried LED yet. What I really want to try is the full spectrum bulbs, but all the sites about CA Title 20 don't mention full spectrum. I've calmed down a bit. I was ready to finally order the swing lamp for crafts and ran into the won't ship to CA problem. Even the swing lamps that came with CFL bulbs wouldn't ship. I'll have to keep trying.

I checked out the magnifier lamp. I'm going to do more research on it and invest in something more expensive. The lens is 3" in diameter on this one. Just skimming, I found lots of other ones some with a 5" magnifier lens. Also, the one you listed gives some information about... stuff that I read about in that article but didn't write down. Lots of numbers explaining things. I tend to run rapidly in the opposite direction the second I spot numbers. It seems like an LED lamp is what I should be looking for. Thanks, Square Peg. You've gotten me headed in the right direction.

I HATE...researching stuff online. I'll just have to push myself because as winter approaches, I want as much light as possible.

Part of my problem was I kept googling "swing arm lamps". This one you suggested is a "goose neck" lamp. I'll try googling that. "LED clamp on goose neck lamp". I'll give it a try. I can't use a desktop one. It has to clamp onto something.

I've thought about having someone out of state buy the lamps for me and mail them to me, but I don't know anyone out of state!

As far as getting 100 watt, yeah, I know. The whole area of light bulbs is changing. Once I take the time to read some of this info I've gotten, I'll share it here. I think in addition to CA, other states are going to be following in the near future. It's really making it hard on lamp manufacturers to have to redesign their products. I know in the future we will all be saving a lot of electricity, which will be good. It's just in the meantime, the changes are challenging.

I'm having trouble finding any 3-way bulbs in the new bulbs. I stocked up on a huge amount of 3-way incandescent bulbs at Dollar Tree. I really love having the option of soft light or bright light in the same lamp.

I'm betting that the bulbs are the limiting factor. The manufacturers don't want to sell you a lamp that requires a bulb that you can't buy in California. Manufacturers designed energy efficient bulbs first for the most common lamp types, and I'm guessing that they haven't gotten around to the type that you need yet.

I'm thinking that the farther north you go, the more SAD you encounter. Alaska tends to be less receptive to environmental regulations. Washington State is pretty receptive and pretty far north, so a good place to look. Oregon is another state receptive to environmental regulation. Multnomah County met the Kyoto Protocol for energy reduction in 2005, which is huge, so another good place to look.

Yes, California was the first state for a lot of environmental regulations, and yes, sometimes it's been a challenge. I'll see if I can find anything. But first I need to be very clear about what I'm looking for. You want a desk lamp for designing patterns, and you want full spectrum lighting because you'll get the truest colors, I assume. When I think of lighting for SAD, I think of an episode of Northern Exposure, which featured a visor that had two small light bulbs that shone light over the wearer's face (not right into the eyes.) So I assume you want a desk lamp with full spectrum. Am I right?

I'm happy with my SAD light box. It uses a long tube light bulb. I have those bulbs.

The article that I found and couldn't find again explains that lots of light bulbs say they're full spectrum when they're not. I'll go try to find the article. As LD would say, "To be continued..." Dammit! I can't find the link. I cut and copied the article into my documents but didn't list the link, which I normally do. The reason it was good was because it explained all the details about what makes a bulb truly full spectrum. I'll keep trying to find it.

What I need for all the lamps in my house is a bulb that looks just like an incandescent bulb. I've found CLF bulbs that say they're full spectrum but I hate that wavy, spiral shape. So...

Here's what I need:

For all the regular lamps in my house: light bulbs that are truly full spectrum that look exactly like a regular incandescent bulb. And to know if this type of light bulb is approved by CA title 20

For crafting: lamp (swing or goose neck that clamp onto a table) that has full spectrum light and a magnifier. Since the ones I've found have LED lights, to know if LED is approved by CA title 20. I don't even know if I like LED light, which I won't know until I try one. I haven't decided on what size magnification I want, but that's up to me. The main question is will CA allow someone to ship something with LED light and is LED light even full spectrum?

EG, you asked if I wanted a desk lamp. No, I need the kind that clamps onto a table. Swing arm tends to give more range of motion and are longer than goose neck but if I'm stuck with goose neck I might take it.

I wonder if I buy stuff outside the U.S., like China if they would also have the same shipping restrictions?

"Full spectrum light bulbs are any of a number of bulbs that produce light that absorbs the full range of colors, and in most cases are designed to emulate sunlight. There is no precise scientific definition for “full spectrum” in this context and it is generally understood to be a marketing term. As such, there can be a great deal of variation when it comes to what, exactly, a bulb carrying this label will deliver. They are popular choices for people with seasonal depression and their brightness and ability to illuminate colors also makes them useful for people who suffer from eyestrain or who need to focus on intricate details, like words on a screen or stitches in a sewing project.

Origins of the Term

The term “full spectrum” was essentially made up by light bulb companies as a way to distinguish products that illuminate all colors from bulbs with a more limited range, like “soft white” or “cool white.” They are called this because, in most cases, they are designed to highlight and intensify colors across the spectrum from neutral to warm to cool, much as the sun does. These sorts of bulbs might also be called “daylight” or “natural light,” depending on the market.

Placement on the Color Rendering Index

One of the most important features of this sort of bulb is its placement on the Color Rendering Index (CRI). The CRI is a measure used by the lighting industry to indicate a bulb's ability to render colors in objects, and different measurements are why some objects look brighter in different types of lighting. Bulbs with an index rating of 90 to 100 are generally the best at simulating the quality of light produced by the sun. There isn’t usually any sort of industry regulation requiring that bulbs labeled “full spectrum” fall within this range, but as a general rule most do.

Importance of Color Temperature

The temperature of the light emitted also factors in. In this instance, “temperature” doesn’t mean how hot the bulb gets, but rather corresponds to the relative intensity of the light emitted. A light source's color temperature describes the color of the light. In general, bulbs with color temperatures of 5000 Kelvin (K) or more produce light that is similar to daytime sunlight. Standard incandescent bulbs coated with neodymium are a notable exception. These are sometimes marketed under the “full spectrum” name, although they do not usually have a 5000K color temperature. They are usually able to filter out the harsh yellow tint that is common in standard incandescent bulbs, however, which makes them more desirable in many settings.

Marketplace Variations

Full spectrum light bulbs are available in many different sizes, styles, and qualities. There also tends to be a certain amount of variance even within styles. Since there is no standardized definition of what it means to be “full spectrum,” it’s often possible to find bulbs that emit fairly different light all labeled with this common terminology".

Last edited by inspiresuccess on Sun Nov 06, 2016 2:16 pm, edited 2 times in total.

I'm learning a lot about myself researching this. I never understood why other people couldn't see the difference in the color of the sunlight at different times of the year. It's either white light or yellow light. Other people don't see the difference.

Other people don't see the difference in the light that comes from the spiral CLF bulbs and incandescent bulbs. I do. The first time I put a CLF bulb in a lamp I took it out immediately. Ugh! How can manufacturers expect us to substitute those things for incandescent? Ick.The spiral shape - the sun is not a spiral! The quality of the light - CLF means Florescent. No wonder they look different. You can't substitute a florescent bulb for an incandescent and expect them to look the same.

I think the combination of having S.A.D. plus being an artist/designer, makes me see light differently than most people. If I can continue to slog my way through the article below, I think I'll have a better understanding of what I see.

I'm glad I started this thread. It's definitely helping me to understand what I need.

Last edited by inspiresuccess on Thu Nov 03, 2016 8:24 pm, edited 2 times in total.

Okay. Making some progress. I read the dreaded article below. Here's what I think I might need for the craft lamp:

Color Index 90-100.Color temperature 5,000 K.

I'm willing to spend up to $100 on the craft/magnifier lamp because I'm seeing it as a business expense. If I got one, I could finish a craft project that I'm being paid $200 for. The money I'd earn would go towards paying me back for forking over the $100 up front. Getting the lamp (and spending $100!!) would motivate me to finish the project to get the $$.

Whew! That's all I can do on this tonight.

Good night, John Boy. Good night, Mary Ellen. Good night, Jim Bob.

Good night, Inspire Success. Get back to work on this tomorrow. Getting this craft light could change your work in a big way.

Last edited by inspiresuccess on Sun Nov 06, 2016 4:36 pm, edited 4 times in total.